In December of 1968, astronaut Bill Anders captured his iconic photograph of Earth from the Apollo 8 spacecraft while circumnavigating the Moon. The Earthrise image was our first glimpse of the greater universe and the scope and scale of it resonated in the public's imagination, but perhaps none more than in the mind of a 22-year-old David Bowie.
As space-fever took hold, composing on a 12-string Hagstrom guitar, Bowie wrote “Space Oddity”; a veritable opus about an astronaut launched into space in a manner akin to the Apollo missions. Major Tom was a fictional character, one of many Bowie would conceive over time, but the existential themes personified his otherworldly presence and summed up the juxtaposing, fear-laced excitement pervading the frontier of space travel. In this perfect storm, our forever Starman had his first commercial hit.
Just five days after the song was released, Apollo 11 shot off into space and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to walk on the moon, landing Bowie right in the centre of pop culture and sci-fi, like a beacon for the future. “Space Oddity” would become the official anthem for space exploration, unrivalled to this day.
This month marks the 50th anniversary of these two cosmic, history-shaping events. To celebrate, Parlophone has launched the new David Bowie “Space Oddity x Unlock The Moon Experience”. The website allows users to direct their phone’s camera towards the moon and, once perfectly aligned, unlock the brand new 2019 Tony Visconti mix of “Space Oddity” a day before the track is officially released as a digital single for streaming and digital download. Check it out here.
And the celebrations will continue with a new “Space Oddity” music video to be premiered in its entirety on July 20th at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, during Apollo 11: A 50th Anniversary Celebration…One Small Step, One Giant Leap - a one-night-only tribute to the 1969 moon landing from the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO).
With its adventurous orchestration, unsettling harmonics and experimental sonic palette, “Space Oddity” permeates a sense of melancholy detachment that captured a truth of the Apollo mission beyond the fanfare and excitement. Major Tom's pre-ordained acceptance of his fate as he drifts into the abyss of space is a masterful insight into the particular balance of bravery, determination and insanity it took for those Apollo astronauts to venture so boldly into the unknown, especially considering he wrote it before they even left Earth. 50 years hence, Bowie remains forever a moonstruck trail-blazer operating on a timeline of his very own.
A new audio mix of “Space Oddity” will be released on the 12th of July as part of the 50th-anniversary celebrations. The double 7” box set includes a replica of the ultra-rare original promotional UK sleeve housing single 1, and a new sleeve containing single 2 featuring a Ray Stevenson shot of David taken during a performance of "Space Oddity" at the ‘Save Rave ‘69’ concert at the London Palladium on 30th November 1969, in front of a backdrop featuring a NASA astronaut. Order your copy here.
Listen to Space Oddity on Spotify:
Listen to Space Oddity on Apple Music:
